Banni Gala sealed for PTI workers

ISLAMABAD - Mystery and uncertainty surrounded Banni Gala throughout Thursday after law enforcement agencies blocked all the roads leading to small urban-cum-rural colony with heavy containers and heavy contingent of police.At around 5am the police officials who were already deputed in the area, placed containers on all of the roads leading to Banni Gala, cutting off the whole area from rest of the capital.PTI Chairman Imran Khan lives here at a villa built at the top of a mountain. Situated around four kilometers off main Murree Road three roads connect this small locality to the capital.One is Korang Road which hits Murree Road near Barakahu, second is Prince Road which ends at Simply Dam Road, then leads to Barakahu, third one is Banni Gala Bazaar Road which hits Chak Shehezad Road near National Institute of Health. Korang Road was closed by placing a container on the Korang Nullah Bridge. Dozens of Punjab police officials deputed at the blockade did not allow even pedestrians to cross the bridge.Likewise, Barakahu Road towards Murree was blocked near Shahpur, whereas it was sealed at Barakahu Bridge with containers and barbed wire. The Bannigala Bazaar Road was closed with heavy containers near dairy farms. In this blockade, when silence was prevailing everywhere, a helicopter emerged from somewhere and started hovering at Imran Khan’s residence. The roar of chopper was very deafening in otherwise calm and quite atmosphere of the area.This small white colure civilian helicopter landed at Imran Khan residence’s at around 6.30, Jehangir Khan Tarin emerged from the inside area of Imran Khan residence. The gatekeeper recognizing Imran Khan’s black Land Cruiser LEE-1, opened the barrier.Khan passed the barrier in a hurry and disappeared. Jehangir Tarin, an industrialist and agriculturist, a close aide of former dictator General Musharraf, is very close to Imran Khan for the last many years. He is known as main financier of PTI.At the time when Tarin left the long march, Khan’s caravan was inside Lahore city.On Wednesday, Javed Hashmi had left the Long March and gone to his residence in Multan reportedly on disagreement on technocrat caretaker government issye. He later rejoined the march but avoided to stay on the open container due to his bad health. According to PTI sources, he was inside the container due to his bad health. PTI staff said that Tarin also left the march due to his bad health.Where he left when all the roads were closed, and why he was riding Imran Khan’s jeep alone, if he was sick; these questions are a mystery.

This news was published in The Nation newspaper. Read complete newspaper of 15-Aug-2014 here.